Coupler



April 27 1926.

J. B; STEWARDSON COUPLER Filed April 16, 1325 51 lNVENTOR ATTORNEYS l atented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNlTED STATES JAMES BERNARD STEWARDSON, 0F COLBY, KANSAS.

COUPLER.

Application filed April 16, 1925. Serial No. 23,599.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JAMES BERNARD STEWARDSO'N, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Colby, in the county of Thomas and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in couplers, and more particularly to a coupler of the type adapted particularly for use in coupling railway cars, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of the invention is the provision of a coupler of the character described which has a pivoted latch or coupling member that can swing to inactive or releasing position while the coupling is under the stress of the usual load thereon without there being any necessity of first producing a slack in the coupling.

A further object of the present invention is the provision in a coupler of a novel looking and operating mechanism for the pivoted latching or coupling member of the coupler, whereby the latching member normally will be held by gravity in active or latching position against the strain of the load on the latching member, preventing-the latching member from moving to open or releasing position until the locking and 0p crating mechanism is manually operated to release. Also, when the latching member is placed in open position, gravity will act on the locking and operating mechanism to hold it open, the locking and operating mechanism being so constructed as to be easily operated even when the strain of the load is on the coupler.

A still further object of the invention is the provision in a coupler of the character described of a draw head and a pivoted latching member having portions cooperating with each other to prevent abnormal movement of the latching member when the usual stress on the coupler is reversed, as when a car equipped with the coupler is being pushed.

A. still further object of the invention is the provision of a coupler having provision made for the use of an emergency locking pin for holding the pivoted latching member of the coupler in latching ppsition firmly, although releasably, against t e pull of the load, the emergency locking pin to be used in case the locking mechanism is out of order.

Other objects and advantages of the illvention will be apparent from the following description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved coupler, portions thereof be ing broken away to disclose the underlyin structure,

Figure 2 is a section along the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direct-ion of the arrows, T

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of the mechanism for operating the pivoted latching plate, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the emergency or auxiliary locking pin.

The improved coupling comprises a coupling member 1 having the outer end portion thereof enlarged at. 2 and adapted to serve as a draw head. This draw head 2 is formed with a vertical slot 3 at its outer end, thus producing horizontally spaced furcations 4 and 5, respectively. The slot 3 enlarges toward its outer end to provide a flaring mouth into which any suitable coupling knuckle that is carried by a cooperative coupler member, not shown, may move when the cooperative coupler members are moved together. The draw head 2 also has a horizontal slot 6 which extends laterally in the draw head through the furcation 5. A latching or coupling member operable to releasably retain the aforesaid coupling knuckle of the cooperating coupler member in the slot 3 has substantially the shape of a bell crank lever and is fulcrumed on a vertical pivot element 7 which extends through the slot 6 between the vertically spaced portions of the furcation 5 adjacent to the outer end of the latter. This pivoted latching member comprises a knuckle portion 8 which is movable horizontally to and from position to extend in the mouth of the slot 3 part way across the latter, and to then prevent the aforesaid coupling knuckle from disengaging the draw head. The pivoted latching member also includes a knuckle op erating arm 9 which is movable horizontally in the slot 6 as required, to move the knuckle 8 between active latching position and inactive releasing position. The knuckle operating arm 9 is provided with an extension 10 at its inner edge for en aging with an outwardly facing stop shou (1611 11 on theinner wall of the slot 3 for the purpose of limiting the swinging movement of the knuckle 8 across the mouth of the slot 3 without causing any stress on the mechanism that the invention provides for operating the latching memb r, this feature being particularly important when the knuckle operating arm of the latching member i under stress resulting from the pushing of the car to which the coupler member 1 is attached, as a result oft force imparted to the car through the coupler.

The operating arm 9 has an integral laterally extending ear 12 having a vertical opening 13 formed therein. A rigid link 1 1 has an eye 15 at its inner end engaged with the opening 13. An arm 16 extends laterally from the draw head 2 at the inner end of the slot 6. The arm 16 preferably is integral with the draw head. A. second arm, indicated at 17, is formed separately from the draw-head, and has a flanged inner end portion 18 bolted at 19 to a flanged laterally ere tending portion 20 of the draw head so that the arm 17 will be disposed in spaced parallel relation to the arm 16 and the link 1 1 will be disposed between the arms 16 and 17.

The horizontal slot 6 extends in the laterally extending portion 20 of the draw head so that space is provided for movement of the ear 12 in a horizontal plane when the knuckle operating arm 9 moves in the slot 6 in the manner hereinbetore d scribed. The arms 16 and 17 are provided with alined transverse openings 21 in which are journaled trunnions 22 which extend from opposite sides of the inner end portion of a channel shaped link actuating arm 23 which thus is pivotally supported to swing in a vertical plane between the arms 16 and 17.

The purpose of making the arm 1'? separate from the draw head is to permit the arm 23 to be placed between the arms 1-8 and 1'? and to be swingingly supported on the arms 16 and 17 in the manner described. The bottom or web portion of the channel member 23 is indicated at 2%, and is best seen in Figure 2.

The rigid link 1% is formed with an eye 25 at its outer end. A pin 26 extends across the channel of the member 23 intermediate the length of the latter, and through the eye 25, thus pivotaliy attaching the link 14 to the member 23. A pin 27 extends across the channel of the member L3 adjacent to the outer end of the latter, and carries a roller 23. The bottom or web 24 of the member 23 is cut away at its outer edges as indicated at 29 so that the roller 28 depends below the plane of the bottom 2 1, and has the periphery thereof in contact with a cam 30 on a cam shaft- 31 which is journaled in alined openings in the arms 16 and 17 adjacent to the outer ends and to the lower edges of the latter.

The pins 26, 27 and 31 are parallel with one another and with the axis of swinging movement or" the member 23. The axis of swinging movement of the member 23 is located at, a level which is higher than the centers of the eyes 15 and 25 when the link 1%. and the latching member of the coupler are in the positions shown in Figure 1 and in full lines in Figure 2. Therefore, the member 23 normally is past center and the latching member of the coupler normally is urged by gravity to active latching position.

A rocker arm 32 is carred by an extending end portion of the rock shaft 31 and is connected by a chain 33 to the outer end of a lateral arm 3a which is secured on an extending end portion of one of the trunnions 22.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. When it is desired to move the latching member of the coupling to releasing position, a lever which is connected at its lower end to the cam shaft 31 is manipulated to rock the cam shaft 31 in a clockwise direction. This causes turning of the cam 30 from the position shown in full lines in Figure 2 to position to raise the outer end of the member 23 to the extent required to position the axis of the pivot pin 26 and therefore the center line of the eye at the outer end of the link 14: above the level of the axis of swinging movement of the member 23. At this position, the coupler is unlocked and the pull on the knuckle will cause the parts to move to open position. At the time the outer end of the member 23 reaches the position just de scribed, the slack in the chain 33 will have been taken up by reason of the swinging of the arm 32 away from the arm 34 and continued manipulation of the lever 35 to rock the shaft 31 further in a clockwise direction will cause continued upward movement of the outer end of the member 23 and ot the outer end of the link 14, whereby the knuckle actuating arm 9 of the latching member will be shoved inward in the horizontal slot 6 and the knuckle 8 will be moved to releasing position. When in the open position, the weight of the member 23 will cause parts to remain in this position.

It may be desirable in an emergency to lock the latching member or the draw head in the latching position so that the pull of the load will be ineffective to swing the lat-ching member to releasing position. To this end, the invention provides a vertical open ing 35 in the draw head at the inner end of the slot 3 and at the outer side of the extension 10 of the knuckle actuating arm 9. A headed coupling pin 36 may be placed in the vertical opening 35 and will engage with the outer side of the extension. 10 of the latching member to hold the latter against the shoulder 11, whereby the latching member will be substantially rigid with the draw head so long as the coupling pin 36 is in place.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in terms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations thereof as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a coupler, a draw head having a vertical slot and having a horizontal slot, a latching member fulcrumed in the horizontal slot to swing to ancfrom position to project to latching position in said vertical slot, a vertically swingabie toggle mechanism attached at one end to said latching member, said toggle mechanism being actuated by gravity to urge said latching member continuously to latching position, and means for actuating said toggle mechanism to move said. latching member to releasing position.

In a coupler, a draw head having a vertical slot and having a horizontal slot, a latching member fulcrumed in the horizontal slot to swing to and from position to project to latching position in said vertical slot, a vertically swingable toggle mechanism attached at one end to said latching member, said toggle mechanism being actuated by gravity to urge said latching member continuously to latching position, a cam for raising the lower end portion of said toggle mechanism above center position, and other means for actuating said toggle mechanism to move said latching member to releasing position.

3. in a coupler, a draw head having a 'ertical slot for the reception of a coupling link, said. draw head also having a horizontal slot extending from one side of the draw head to said vertical slot, a vertical pivot element extending through the outer end of said horizontal slot, a latching member fulcrumed on said pivot element and having a knuckle portion movable to and from position to extend to latching position in the mouth of said vertical slot, said latching member including a knuckle actuating arm, movable in said horizontal slot, said draw head having a pair of spaced supporting arms extending laterally therefrom, a link rigidly attached at its inner end to said knuckle actuating member, a link actuating member supported at its inner end between said laterally extending supporting arms for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, means pivotally connecting the outer end of said link to said link actuating member, the axis of swinging movement of said link actuating member being located above the level of the center lines of the point of connection of said link with said link actuating member, whereby said link will be actuated by gravity to hold said latching member in latching position, means for raising the outer end portion of said link actuating member to position to cause swinging of said latching member to releasing position.

a. A coupling comprising a draw head, a pivoted knuckle carried by the draw head, a knuckle actuating arm rigid with the knuckle, a pair of laterally extending spaced supporting arms carried by the draw head, a channel member having trunnions at its inner end journaled in said supporting arms, a straight rigid link having its outer end pivotally supported between the arms of said channel member and its inner end pivotally attached to said kn ckle actuating arm, and means for operating said channel member to transmit motion through said link to said knuckle actuatin arm.

5. A coupling comprising a draw head, a pivoted knuckle carried by the draw head, a knuckle actuating arm rigid with the knuckle, a pair or laterally extending spaced supporting arms carried by the draw head, a channel member having trunnions at its inner end ournaled in said supporting arms, a straight rigid link having its outer end pivotally supported between the arms of said channel member and its inner end pivot ally attached to said knuckle actuating arm, the axis of swinging movement of said channel member being above the axis of the pivotal connection of the outer end of the link with the channel member when said channel member is substantially horizontal, a roller at the outer end of the channel memher, a cam shaft below said roller having a cam on which said roller rests, a rocker arm rigid with the cam shaft, a rocker arm rigid with one of said trunnions, a flexible connection between said rocker arms, and means for rocking the cam shaft, said flexible connection being slack until the pivotal connection at the outer end of the link has been raised with said channel member by said cam above the level of the center lines of said trunnions and then being taut, as and for the purpose described.

JAMES BERNARD STENARDSON. 

